


Steak and Motility

by Keiko Kirin (sakana17)



Series: Steak [10]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-08-05
Updated: 2001-08-05
Packaged: 2017-10-03 05:37:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakana17/pseuds/Keiko%20Kirin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one with girls. Contains suggestive but non-explicit heterosexual content.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steak and Motility

**Author's Note:**

> For Kathy, who got me through it. Incredible thanks to Merry for beta-reading above and beyond all expectations. Strawberry-flavored thanks to Kathy and Terri for solving numerous problems for me. Ongoing thanks to Jen, J, L, and Spring for support and Stargate ramblings.

The express aisle -- ten items or less -- was closed. Figured. A rainy Thursday afternoon, when everyone and their brother was shopping, and all Jack needed was toothpaste, bread, and pork chops, and the express aisle was closed. Only two slow aisles open. He made his choice, and stood behind two women he guessed were about his age.

"So, you went to Barbara?" the taller woman was saying.

"Yes, and now I guess I'll have to let it grow out. I shouldn't have tipped her, really, I shouldn't."

The shorter woman was a brunette. Jack looked at her hair curiously, but couldn't for the life of him see what it was that needed to grow out.

"I'm telling you, make an appointment with Troy. He's the best, and he's such a doll. You'll get the best cut you've ever had, and the tales he tells... Oh, you'll scream. Oh, I can't believe some of the stories that come out of his mouth..."

"Oh, hush." This in a tone that said, 'do tell.'

"He tells me all about his dates, you know. And he has such an eye for the servicemen! I keep joking that I won't let Ed pick me up anymore because I'm afraid Troy'd go after him." Both women laughed. "Troy has a thing for flyboys, you know. Says he likes them because they know how to take off, how to soar, and how to land."

They laughed again. Jack toyed with a Snickers bar in the candy display.

The brunette said, "Oh, but he's just joking, isn't he? I mean, he doesn't _really_... Well, you know. They kick people out of the service for that, don't they?"

"Oh, yeah, they do. If they get caught, I guess. I don't know. Troy might be pulling my leg, because of Ed, you know. Although I wouldn't wonder if some of those stories are true. JoEllen's daughter used to say she saw lots of guys from the base down in Denver. In some of _those_ places. But Troy's such a sweetie, I just hope he's not playing with fire, you know what I mean. I'd love to fix him up with some nice guy, if I knew anyone... Oh, here, we're next. Did you want to put the cake in your half, or in mine?"

While the women sorted their one cart into two separate purchases, Jack looked past the candy display to see if the other aisle was moving any faster. No such luck. He inspected the pork chops again, tapped the toothpaste box, let the bread package swing from between his fingers. Stared at the headlines of the _Weekly World News_. Had a sudden, vivid sense memory of Daniel pushing inside him.

_They kick people out of the service for that, don't they?_

_In some of **those** places._

_Has a thing for flyboys, you know._

He shut his eyes for a moment.

He opened his eyes and added the Snickers bar to his stuff.

\-----

He was running late. Jack was going to kill him.

Daniel got all the way to his car before he realized he'd forgotten his overnight bag. He checked his watch, sighed in disgust, and slammed the car door as he ran back up to the apartment. There was the bag, waiting by the door where he'd left it. Ran back to the car. Ready.

He'd still be late. Damn.

The rain didn't help any. Traffic got snarled up at every intersection. It was crazy. Rain made people forget how to drive?

By the time he finally pulled into Jack's driveway, he remembered that he had intended to stop off and get beer on the way over. Damn. He grabbed his bag, slammed the car door shut, and got wet on his way to Jack's door.

Jack was holding cooking tongs when he opened the door. It was such an appealing sight that Daniel's frustration started to melt.

"I forgot to get beer," he said, coming in and shaking some rain off his coat.

"It's okay. I have some. The pork chops are just about done."

Daniel took his overnight bag into the bedroom, hung his coat up over the bathtub to drip dry, and swung by the kitchen to check out Jack's beer. As expected, the bland kind. He poured himself a glass of water and joined Jack at the dining table.

Ahhh. Good pork chop. Perfect baked potato. He relaxed. Watched Jack until Jack noticed him watching. Jack gave him a steady look, one that never failed to make Daniel's pulse speed up. It was funny -- even now, months later, he associated that look with their initial, hit-and-miss dinner dates, and had the same reaction he'd had then.

He glanced down at the table, felt his cheeks flush with warmth, and looked up again.

"What?" Jack asked, looking slightly puzzled.

Daniel smiled a little. "Nothing."

Jack cut another slice of chop. Started telling him about some poor airman who'd gotten trapped in the emergency shaft once during a complete shutdown of the mountain. Daniel half listened -- he'd heard the story before, it was one of Jack's favorites -- and half just enjoyed the moment. Let Jack never stop telling him stories he'd heard before. Let Jack never stop giving him those looks.

After dinner, dishes in the dishwasher, they sat in the living room and read. Daniel got comfortable on the couch by leaning against Jack and propping his feet up on the coffee table. He was still behind on current issues of _Archaeology_. Jack was reading today's newspaper.

The article Daniel was reading was a load of bullshit cleverly disguised as believable supposition. Daniel mentally drafted his refutation as he went along, shaking his head. He reached the end, raised an eyebrow at the footnotes, and closed the journal as he tied up his unwritten, brilliant, skewering response. Jack rubbed the short hairs on the back of Daniel's neck.

Daniel glanced over to see what Jack was reading. The local news. Daniel kissed Jack's cheek.

"I'm going to bed," he murmured.

"I'll be there in a minute." Jack lightly scratched the top of Daniel's head.

Daniel stood up, made a show of stretching but Jack, disappointingly, wasn't looking. Daniel made his way down the hall. Got ready for bed, still no Jack. Slid under the covers, yawned, heard Jack switching off lights and puttering around in the kitchen. He curled up on his side. His eyes were closed and he was hovering between wakefulness and sleep when he felt Jack slide into bed next to him.

Click. The light went out. The mattress dipped and moved, the covers were pulled as Jack got comfortable. Daniel waited.

Jack touched his shoulder, stroked his back. Scooted closer and kissed the back of his neck.

"Sleepy?" Jack asked.

Daniel pressed back to feel Jack's body against his. Jack wrapped an arm around him and kissed his shoulder.

"Not as such," Daniel said.

"It's been a long day," Jack said quietly.

Daniel rested his hand over Jack's. "Yeah." He tilted his neck and Jack kissed the curve, slow and gentle.

"Are you sleepy?" he asked.

Jack paused before answering. "A little."

Daniel stroked Jack's forearm, smoothing the hairs. "Okay." He glanced back over his shoulder. "I mean, there's more to this than..." He gestured vaguely. Paused.

Jack shifted so Daniel could roll onto his back. Jack touched the tip of Daniel's nose. "Uh, yeah." He could hear the smile in Jack's voice. "You know, if all I wanted was some boytoy, I could go out and find, I don't know, some hairdresser with a thing for uniforms, I guess." He kissed Daniel's forehead. "Not someone who thinks reading about pottery shards is an exciting evening's entertainment."

Daniel drummed his fingers on Jack's back and lifted an eyebrow. "'Boytoy'?"

Jack kissed his ear and jaw. "Mm." Kissed his neck.

Daniel offered more neck and slid his hands over Jack's back, stroking. "You're being unfair about those pottery shards. Believe me, it was a fascinating article."

Jack gently bit his neck. "I'll take your word for it."

Daniel arched against him. "I thought you said you were sleepy."

"I was. Past tense."

"Ah."

Jack kissed him slowly, one of those really terrific deep kisses that lasted for ages. Very wet, strong. Mmmmm, tongue. A tiny thought flickered across his mind, about how kissing with tongue was forbidden in some cultures. They had no idea what they were missing.

Jack moved over him. Daniel felt Jack's cock brush against his, settle against his thigh, grow harder. He arched again and slid his hands to the small of Jack's back, to hold him tightly, press him closer. Jack raised up on his elbows, and Daniel felt him reaching over and fumbling around. Then he was back, lifting one of Daniel's hands and slipping a tube into his fingers.

Daniel clutched it and his breath caught. Jack had bought... Oh, wow. His skin flushed with heat as, curious, he ran his fingers along the top and sides, and tried to figure out if it had been opened already.

Jack kissed his cheekbone and temple.

"Uh, Jack..." he said softly.

"Mm?" Jack started kissing behind his ear, and biting, and licking.

Daniel shivered. "What do you... Are we... Um."

There was a pause. A weird pause, because Jack still had his lips pressed behind Daniel's ear, and his body pressed against Daniel's, and neither of them moved for a moment. Then Jack shifted a little, reached for Daniel's hand again, and took the tube away.

Daniel opened and closed his fingers, and silently cursed himself. And then.... Ahh, and then. Jack stroked Daniel's fingers with his, and covered them with slippery wetness. A lot. Daniel bit his lip but couldn't completely keep back his groan. And his cock -- well, no hiding the effect there. Jack rubbed against him, and Daniel could just picture his smirk.

Daniel slid his free hand lower and cupped Jack's ass, gave it a firm, hard squeeze. Jack let go of his fingers, and Daniel reached down to touch, to caress, to stroke, to slip inside. Such heat, tender, smooth. So good.

"Oh," he whispered, closing his eyes and swallowing hard.

Jack was very still against him. Then not. He rocked back, and opened his legs, and shivered as Daniel pressed his fingers inside. All the time kissing Daniel's ear and neck, and making soft breathy noises. His cock hard and throbbing against Daniel's thigh.

Okay. Oh, yes. Daniel pushed his fingers deeper, and rubbed, and circled, and thrust them, did everything he knew felt good -- felt good in him, anyway. Oh, _yes_. Jack responded. Writhed and wanted more, and bit Daniel's shoulder with a moan.

Oh god. Daniel pumped his fingers harder, faster inside Jack, and Jack... Oh, Jack was going wild. Pushing back on Daniel's fingers. Rolling his hips, and thrusting furiously against Daniel's thigh. Sinking his teeth into Daniel's skin -- causing a brief, delicious sliver of pain -- and moaning, muffled, again.

Daniel couldn't hold back; this was so hot, so amazing to be doing this, to be doing this to Jack. He squeezed and rubbed Jack's ass with one hand while his fingers kept pumping, kept fucking, and he arched up to meet Jack's thrusting. Felt Jack's teeth, and moans, and heat, and shudders. And a thousand other sensations tingled, burned, poured over him as he came, quick and fierce, and felt Jack come, less quick, more fierce.

Jack sank against him. Daniel closed his eyes, breathing rapidly. Their skin was hot, slick, sticky. Outside it was raining harder, and the gutter that needed repairing banged against the side of the house.

"Oh my god," Daniel whispered.

Jack wanted to kiss him, to give him one of those really long, you're-the-most-delicious-thing kisses that made Daniel all melty, but he couldn't quite move yet. He was still coming down from the high, and enjoying how their bodies were locked together from exhaustion and great sex. He kissed the Daniel flesh his lips touched -- suspected it was Daniel's shoulder -- and Daniel very gently moved his fingers inside him, sliding them out.

Jack shivered all over and bit where he'd just kissed.

"Oh my god," Daniel whispered again. He caressed Jack's ass, up along his hips and spine, then back down.

Jack raised up on one elbow and slowed his breath. Too dark to see Daniel clearly, but he could sort of see him. Enough to tell when Daniel opened his eyes.

Jack didn't say anything. Not yet, because too many things were running around in there, and some of them he wasn't about to say out loud. He settled on, "Yeah."

Daniel lightly patted his ass. Jack raised an eyebrow, smiled and slid off of him, settling on his back. He spread out and dozed while Daniel went to wash up. Washed when Daniel came back, and returned to bed, yawning and curling up next to Daniel. Completely sleepy now, ready for a few hours of oblivion.

"Daniel?"

"Hmmm?"

Jack stroked Daniel's chest. "Go to sleep."

"Mm. I will." Daniel touched Jack's fingers, rubbed his wrist.

Jack was almost asleep when Daniel kissed the top of his head and murmured, "You bit me."

Unsure if he'd heard correctly, maybe he was asleep already, Jack whispered back, "Several times."

And then he was asleep, drifting along, Daniel saying something to him, something soft, just words he couldn't make out. It didn't matter, really; they were drifting together.

\-----

Some days just didn't click right, Sam thought as she stood at the foot of the stargate ramp, next to Colonel O'Neill. Today was one of those days.

She glanced at the colonel and, beyond him, at Daniel. They both looked like she felt: not enough sleep, not enough downtime. Yes, of course, their mission was important. All missions were important. And it wasn't like she didn't look forward to stepping through the gate and finding out what was on the other side. But some days... Some days she really wanted to go back home and crawl into bed. Sleep, read, catch up with Mark. Eat bonbons. Do things that weren't life or death.

Sam stood up straight as the final chevron locked into place, and the wormhole wooshed out. As soon as they reached the event horizon, all those thoughts would disappear. The rush of adventure, of discovery, and knowledge, and danger, would come back. Did the rest of SG-1 ever feel this way? Have these last-minute yearnings for a normal life before stepping into the wormhole and getting caught up in the indescribable thrill that _was_ their normal life?

She followed the colonel up the ramp. The last-minute yearnings had disappeared entirely by the time they reached the gate.

The planet on the other side was green. Or, more acurately, the bit of it they were standing on was green. It was a wide river valley that stretched out ahead of them, on to the horizon. On either side, a few miles away, were low bluffs. It was open, windswept land.

The village they'd seen from the MALP transmissions wasn't far away. Sam checked the radiation levels. Above normal, but they should be all right. They walked next to the narrow, snaking river, finding a footpath on solid ground next to marshy areas.

"I wonder if they use the gate," Daniel commented. Sam noticed he left unsaid the rest of that thought: _Or if the Goa'uld have been using the gate._

Before they reached the village, they passed small farms with fields of sheep, goats, and cows. Sam glanced quickly at the colonel as they passed a cow pasture, but he didn't say anything. He was scanning the area, face serious, alert. Sam took another look around: they were being watched from the farmhouses.

The colonel slowed his steps. The first buildings of the village were a few hundred yards ahead.

=Clang!=

A loud, metallic ringing filled the air. Colonel O'Neill stopped. =Clang!=

"Daniel?"

Daniel had walked ahead. He paused and looked back. "I think they're expecting us."

Sam looked past him and saw the villagers gathering. They didn't appear to be carrying weapons. The bell -- or whatever it was -- stopped ringing. They caught up with Daniel and entered the village.

The village center was an open square. This was where their welcoming committee had gathered. More people stood in doorways and watched. They were human, and to Teal'c looked much like the other humans SG-1 had found on worlds terra-formed by the Goa'uld.

These humans were somewhat shorter than most. Doctor Fraiser would be considered tall among them. They wore square, black headdresses. The females wore modest dresses, and the males wore tunics with thick leggings and boots.

One female approached SG-1 and bowed before him. She stood up straight, and Teal'c noted that she was older than most of the humans around her. She wore a a long blue dress, and the back of her hand was decorated with an elaborate tattoo. Teal'c had never seen its design before.

"You are welcome here," she said to Teal'c. "It has been a long while since we have had visitors. Please, come and let us know you."

Teal'c looked to O'Neill. O'Neill smiled at the woman. "Nice to meet you."

Daniel Jackson stepped forward and removed his hat. "We're peaceful explorers from a place called Earth. We'd like to find out about your village. And who else has come here."

The woman nodded. "Yes, yes. Please, come with me. Let us know you, and you will know us."

They were led to a plain building larger than the others which Daniel Jackson guessed was a place of worship, based on the objects they saw there. Teal'c examined the place very closely to see which false god they worshipped, but he didn't recognize any of the symbols.

There were long wooden benches arranged in rows. O'Neill went over to one and sat down.

"Take a pew," he said. He removed his cap and rubbed his hair.

Major Carter sat down on another bench. Daniel Jackson walked around and looked at furniture, objects, and decorations. Teal'c stood near O'Neill and waited for the alien to return.

"They seem big on animals," O'Neill said after a while.

Daniel Jackson spun around from the pillar he was studying. "What?"

O'Neill nodded at a wall. Teal'c had already noticed the many carvings of animals.

"Oh. Yes." Daniel Jackson looked around again, then resumed his inspection of the pillar.

The alien woman returned with several other villagers. Again she bowed before Teal'c. When she rose and looked at him, he watched her eyes. She did not seem to hold the same fear he had seen many times as First Prime of Apophis, yet she had bowed before him as worshippers of Apophis sometimes did, hoping to please their god and his Jaffa.

"I am Teal'c," he said. The woman showed no sign of recognition of his name.

"I am Deshara of Shemizo and Utanu. I speak for my village."

O'Neill stood up, replaced his cap, and smiled at her. "I'm Jack. I speak for my... people."

Deshara bowed to him. The villagers behind her also bowed. Daniel Jackson stood next to O'Neill.

"I'm Daniel."

Major Carter smiled at the aliens. "Hi. I'm..." She glanced at O'Neill and Daniel Jackson before continuing, "Sam."

Deshara smiled at them all and reached out to take O'Neill's hand in her own. Teal'c again noticed the tattoo on the back of her left hand. O'Neill lifted an eyebrow, but let her lead him to the front of the room.

The other villagers came up and extended their hands to lead the rest of SG-1 to the front. The man who led Teal'c had elongated fingers which curved markedly. His left hand was also tattooed, in a different pattern than Deshara's.

The members of SG-1 were seated on different benches, with villagers around them. More people came inside and joined the group, until the place was practically full.

The villagers were very interested in their clothes and gear. Daniel noticed that all of the villagers had tattoos on their left hands. He tried to connect their distinctive square headdresses with an Earth culture, but couldn't place the style exactly.

The villagers asked questions. It was hard to get a question in edgewise, actually, although Daniel was doing his best. His main inquisitor was a man called Haniku of Shemizo and Padarin of Five Trees, whose name alone filled Daniel with all kinds of questions. Next to Haniku was a young woman called Rasa of Zumahaka and something else Daniel hadn't been able to catch. She seemed shy, spoke very little, although Daniel caught her staring at him curiously.

Haniku touched the holster on Daniel's thigh, where Daniel's sidearm was. "What is this?" Haniku asked.

Daniel made sure the holster was fastened securely. "It's a, uh... It's dangerous. We carry it to defend ourselves."

Haniku nodded and scrutinized him again, seemed to have lost interest in the gun already. He reached out and touched Daniel's hair. Tugged on it, as if testing to see if it was real. Daniel frowned and tilted his head away from Haniku's fingers. Haniku lost interest in that, as well, and touched the straps on Daniel's vest.

"How do these work?"

"Uh..."

Haniku pulled Daniel's radio out of its pocket. "What does this do?"

Daniel took the radio back. Haniku became fascinated by velcro. Yes, it made sense that they were interested in what was new to them, even if they were a little pushy about it.

Daniel looked at Rasa and gestured at her left hand. "Could you explain this design to me?"

Rasa looked down at her hand and thought for a moment. She ran the fingers of her right hand over the tattoo. It was almost like she'd never noticed it before, or had never had to talk about it. Her fingers were short but slender. She traced a thick black line that snaked from her left thumb to little finger.

"This is my family," she said.

"Your family?"

Her finger traced the line again. "Zumahaka of West Farm." Her finger moved to another thick line that curved and intersected the main one in several places. "Beriban of Single Gate Farm." Her finger followed another line. "Shemizo of the Meeting Place." Another line. "Manuzu of the Meeting Place." She pulled her sleeve back. The tattoo became even more intricate, and extended up her arm.

Genealogy. Rasa wore her family tree on her skin. He listened, fascinated, as she recited more names, wondering how far back it would go. How many generations were represented here?

His concentration was broken by two things: Haniku bending down to untie Daniel's shoelaces, and Jack calling, "Oh, Daniel..." in that tone that said, _Get me away from these aliens before I go whacko and start tossing them out a window._

Daniel looked over. Uh oh. Deshara had Jack's cap off, and another woman was working on unhooking his vest. Jack was clutching his P-90 to his chest, and just barely _not_ kicking the villager who was trying to get his boots off. Daniel sympathized; Haniku was poking and pinching the toe of his boot.

A quick glance at Sam and Teal'c, and they were also being pawed and examined a little too intimately. If Teal'c clenched his jaw any harder...

Daniel stood up, and oh, too bad, he upset Haniku's balance. Haniku, unperturbed, crouched next to him and continued examining his boots.

"Deshara," he called. She didn't respond. "Um... Could I..." He pulled his foot free from Haniku and tried to step over villagers and benches to get to her and Jack.

Too late.

"Hey!" Jack's raised voice silenced the chatter of the villagers. Daniel manoevered his way to Jack's bench. And there... Oh, no. Deshara had begun unfastening Jack's pants.

Daniel's eyes met Sam's. She'd seen. She held back her grin, but just barely. Daniel cleared his throat and faced Deshara.

"Where we come from, it's not our custom to touch strangers so... so... much," he said. "We'd be happy to share information with you, but without so much... touching."

Deshara looked up at him, then back at Jack, who quickly fastened his fly and grabbed his cap out of her hand.

"If we have offended you, please accept our humblest apologies!" She slid from the bench to bow on the floor. All the others did the same. They were surrounded by bowing villagers.

Jack stood up and rested his hands on his hips. "Oh, for-- Stand up. Apologies accepted." Added _sotto voce_, "I think."

Deshara rose first. The others followed her lead. She smiled at Jack and Daniel, and took Jack's hand. _What part of 'not touching' did she not understand? _

"Again, please accept our apologies. And please, you must stay so we may honor you with a feast. It is a great joy for us to welcome visitors. Please. You must stay."

Jack gave Daniel a sidelong look. Yeah, Daniel had picked up on that, too. There was something a little commanding about her invitation. But so far they hadn't seen any weapons, and having their clothes fondled wasn't exactly a threat.

He looked at Jack. "Um..."

Jack nodded at Deshara. "Yeah, okay. We'll stay for the feast."

Deshara's smile was genuine and welcoming. She bowed her head again, and turned to her people, giving commands.

\-----

The feast was held in the same building. The villagers rearranged the benches, and stacked some of them on top of others to make long tables, locking them in place with built-in latches Jack hadn't noticed before. Clever.

He wondered how long they'd have to wait for the feast, but after the tables were set up, even more villagers showed up, carrying trays. Apparently they'd been preparing the feast since SG-1 first arrived. Okay. That was both welcoming and a little freaky.

Jack kept the team together when Deshara urged them to sit at the head table. He sat between Daniel and Carter. Teal'c sat on the other side of Daniel. Everything was going okay -- they weren't being pawed or anything -- but still. There was something a little off here, and Jack wasn't sure yet what it was.

Deshara was in charge. She told people where to sit, and kept checking on SG-1, playing the gracious hostess. Daniel kept trying to ask her questions, but Jack had already noticed these people weren't very forthcoming with answers. He had only one question: who else came here?

Deshara had mentioned visitors. Goa'uld? He doubted it. The signs weren't there. So. If their visitors came through the gate, and weren't Goa'ulds, then it was someone else who could work the stargates, which meant a level of technology and development similar to Earth's, probably better than Earth's. Potential allies, maybe.

If they ever found out who these visitors were, which was looking pretty unlikely right now. The feast was getting into gear, with more villagers coming in to sit down at the other tables, and more platters of food shoved in front of them. At least they weren't skimping on the eats.

The entertainment started. There was always entertainment at these shindigs. Jack winced and prepared himself. Those instruments looked suspiciously like accordions. Of all the remnants of Earth culture to retain, _accordions_? Could even Daniel explain that one?

Hmmm. Hey. Not bad. They were played like accordions, but they sounded like... well, sort of like a very breathy flute with violin accompaniment. And the music actually had a melody and recognizable rhythm. Okay. In the alien music awards, these guys won, hands-down.

The main course was lamb. A little dry and overcooked, in Jack's opinion, but at least it looked, smelled and tasted like ordinary Earth lamb. With it were some vegetables with the consistency of eggplant but which tasted sort of like broccoli. And this green mushy stuff Jack supposed was a vegetable of some sort which tasted like nothing Jack could describe. Really different. Brand new alien flavor. He liked it.

But the best thing was the juice. Sort of citrusy, like lemonade, but with something else. Something... hmmm. Floral. A taste that reminded him of flowers. It was good, very refreshing. And cold. They served it chilled, which started Daniel off on some long theory about how they kept it cold, and what this said about their development and society and stuff. Yeah, whatever.

Jack relaxed. This wasn't so bad. The feast was going okay, actually tasted good, and then they could go home. He wished he could find out about those other visitors; maybe after the party he could ask Deshara about it again.

He glanced around. Carter was smiling at the village guy who was pouring more juice into their cups. That Sam smile that turned alien guys into mush. Jeez, did she have any idea? He took a look at the guy -- what he could see under the blush and goofy headgear -- and decided Carter could do better.

Teal'c was doing his usual stoical thing. Eating very little, drinking very little. Watching everyone like he expected them to pull zats out of thin air. He could stand to loosen up a little.

And Daniel... Daniel was wolfing down eggplant-broccoli like there was no tomorrow, snaring more slices of it off the serving dish that a villager was passing around. Huh. Was it that good? Jack held out his utensil -- it was like a miniature metal spatula -- for more but the platter was gone, handed down the long table into a crowd of villagers. He glanced at Daniel's plate and snuck a slice from there.

Yeah, it was better than he'd thought at first. A little salty, though. He finished off his juice and lifted his cup to ask for more, and there was another guy with a jug, ready to pour. Cool. Good service in this joint. As the guy walked away, Jack noticed his fingers: a little too long, and something about the way they curved didn't seem right. Jack looked down at his hand and tried to curve his fingers that way. Ouch.

"Huh."

"Sir?"

Jack looked up and took another drink of juice. "What?"

Carter frowned at him for a moment, drank from her cup, and went back to her meal. Jack watched her help herself to more green mushy stuff and said, "This is a lot better than the last feast we had."

Carter swallowed a spatula-full. "Sir?"

"You know, that feast on the planet with all the cows. The one where they all--"

Daniel started coughing. Jack looked over at him. "Down the wrong way?" He helpfully pounded Daniel's back. Daniel coughed again and scowled at him.

"Thanks," he said drily, still scowling. Jack licked his lips, tasted citrusy-flower juice, and wanted to kiss that scowl right off Daniel's face.

Oh, whoa. No, no. Not here. He took another drink and looked away. Watched the accordion players for a while. Relaxed again.

Yeah. It was better than the feast on Planet Cow. Where they had seen those guys fucking...

Daniel had fucked him. Daniel had fucked him, and why the hell was he thinking about this now? This was not the time, not the place, he couldn't think about this here. Except some part of his brain had never stopped thinking about it. Thinking, and remembering, and wanting...

Stop. Something was wrong.

Jack set his cup down. He looked around. Oh, yeah. Something was wrong. He was buzzed. He could feel it, and now that he could feel it, it was getting stronger. He focused on Teal'c.

"Hey, Teal'c. Why aren't you having any of this stuff?" he asked, tapping his cup.

Teal'c moved one eyebrow very slightly. "Because it is fermented."

Oh, yeah. Like he hadn't known already.

"Fermented?" said Daniel, staring into his cup. Then finished off what was left in it. _There goes Daniel, cheap date._

Carter set her cup down. Her face was flushed. The long-fingered guy came to fill her cup again. Wait. No, this was a different guy. He had a dark splotch on his nose, like a big birthmark.

Jack turned again to the accordion players. He hadn't been watching their hands before. Now he noticed that three of them had the same long fingers that curved sharply.

"Oh," Daniel said. In a hushed, serious tone.

"Daniel?"

"The genealogies," Daniel said. "Of course. Take a small group of people and transplant them to a place where there's no one else..." He trailed off.

Jack glanced down at Daniel's hand holding the little spatula thingie. Daniel's perfect hand. "Inbreeding?"

"It would explain the prevalance of an uncommon trait -- elongated fingers -- among such a small population," Daniel said.

Deshara approached their table. Around her were four young women. They were all... Well, they were all pretty, in Jack's opinion. Delicate features, long, thick hair. They stood up straight, with their hands clasped in front, showing off their straight fingers.

"Oh," Daniel said again, lifting his eyebrows.

Deshara bowed her head. "I believe you understand," she said to Jack.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Uh..." He gave Daniel a sidelong glance.

"Sir," said Carter. "I think... I think they want you to... They want the men to... They need genetic material."

Jack glanced at Carter, looked back at Deshara. Genetic material? Oh. _That_ kind of genetic material. Deshara looked hopeful. She smiled a little and put her arm around one of the cute girls, bringing her forward. The girl shyly looked at Jack, then at the floor.

Jack stared at her and rubbed his forehead. He had a slight headache from the buzz.

Deshara gestured at the women next to her. "These are our strongest women, of good stock. We ask this favor... It is our only wish, our only request. Please."

What was she asking? Oh, right. The genetic material. Jack stared at the cute, shy girl. Noticed the girl next to her giving Daniel a once-over. He glanced at Daniel, who glanced at him.

He realized everyone was looking at him, waiting. Oh, right. He had to make a decision. Genetic material. They could do that. If that's all these people wanted, they could help.

"Okay," he said. He took another drink of the citrus juice, and felt its warmth slither through him.

Hmmm. Wait. "Daniel. Teal'c. I'm not gonna order you--"

"It's okay, Jack," Daniel said softly. He lifted his empty cup, and the girl who'd been making cow eyes at him reached for the jug.

Jack glanced down the table at Teal'c. Teal'c said, "I believe it is in our power to assist these people." Okay. He guessed that was a yes.

As he took another drink of juice, and felt the buzz buzzing harder, he looked again at the four women, and then at Carter. He leaned closer to her.

"What do they think you're going to do?"

Carter, wide-eyed, shrugged. "I have no idea, sir."

\-----

And she still didn't have any idea, now that she was alone in a cozy hut with the young woman named Shazashika. Shazashika sat down on the bed, a big, comfortable-looking bed that took up half the room. Sam stood, hunched over slightly, and looked around the hut. Drummed her fingers on her P-90. Looked around again. What the hell was she supposed to do?

"Please, sit down," said Shazashika. She patted the bed.

Sam stared at her for a moment. Well, it was damned uncomfortable hunching over to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. "Uh, okay."

"I'll make a fire." Shazashika knelt on the floor beside the bed and worked at a little round iron stove. Sam looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing. Lumps of fuel -- looked like charcoal -- filled the stove. Shazashika struck a metal stick against the side of the stove and a small flame flared out. She directed it at the fuel until the fire started, then shook the stick to extinguish it.

"May I see that?" Sam asked. Shazashika handed the stick to her.

Sam examined it closely but couldn't tell what kind of metal it was. The end seemed to be coated with something.

"You are a warrior," Shazashika said, voice so quiet Sam almost didn't hear her.

Sam gave the stick back to her. "Um, yes. But we're not here to do your people any harm. We're peaceful."

Shazashika smiled. "And beautiful, and strong."

Sam ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, look. You do know I'm a woman, don't you? I can't give you what they're... I can't give you..."

Shazashika sat on the floor, cross-legged. "Yes, I know you are a woman."

Sam frowned a little, watching her. "So why did Deshara send you off with me?"

"Deshara did not wish to insult our visitors again. Since you came with the men, and dressed like the men, she thought you might have tastes like the men."

Sam stared at her. "Oh. Oh, ummm, well..."

Shazashika smiled again. "But I asked to be sent with you because I wanted to ask you about the place where you come from."

Sam breathed out in relief. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"In your village, are all the women strong warriors, like the men?" Shazashika asked. Her eyes were wide, and she had the air of a young child begging to be told fairy tales.

"Some of them are. A lot of them aren't warriors. Where I come from, people do lots of different things. Men and women."

Shazashika thought this over. "How many babies do you have? Are they all healthy? Are they all alive?"

Sam shook her head. "I don't have any babies."

Shazashika looked dismayed. "But you're so strong. Surely you should have babies by now. Isn't it your duty?"

Sam took a breath. Yes, of course, here it would be a duty. It was survival.

"Where I come from, it's not a woman's duty to have babies. It's a choice she can make," Sam said, then decided that was enough of an answer for now.

Shazashika looked down at her hands, folded neatly over her lap. "I have been bred ten times, but only two babies." She lifted her head and a note of pride crept into her voice. "But they are both healthy, perfect babies."

Sam nodded. She looked closely at Shazashika, and guessed her age to be about sixteen. Sixteen. Bred ten times. Two babies. They had to find a way to help these people.

Shazashika touched Sam's arm, drawing Sam out of her thoughts. "Tell me more about your village," Shazashika asked.

Sam thought about what to tell her and watched the fire in the small stove flicker as the hut grew darker.

\-----

The planet's distant sun was setting in a blaze of pink and red. A row of small, neat cottages fanned out from the village's central building.

Inside one high-ceilinged cottage, Teal'c laid another log on the fire and stood up. The alien woman named Nini folded back the blankets on the bed.

"Do you wish me to undress you?" she asked quietly.

"That is not necessary," Teal'c replied. He unfastened his holster straps.

Nini nodded and lifted up her dress. Underneath she wore a thin shift. Her hair hung long and straight down her back. She avoided looking into Teal'c's eyes.

Teal'c laid his jacket on a chair. "Nini," he said. "I will do only what you ask of me. If you do not want this, I will not do this."

Nini looked at him then. She stared boldly at him and pulled her shift up, over her shoulders, and off. Teal'c observed her body.

"You have children," he said, curious.

Nini said nothing. She knelt before him and started removing his boots. When Teal'c had stripped, she stood and touched the bandage around his abdomen.

"I must leave this on," he said.

Nini climbed into the high bed and left room for him, lying on her back. Teal'c joined her under the blankets. He sat up, resting his hands on his lap.

"I have a son," he told her after a silence.

Nini looked up at him for a long while. "My child was a son." He waited for her to continue. She sat up next to him. "He was healthy, strong, perfect." Her voice became quiet. He recognized the sound of tears held back. "Something happened. An accident. He crawled too far when I was by the river, washing. It shouldn't have happened."

She paused and collected her breath. She picked at the blanket with her fingers. "It was my fault. He was healthy and perfect, and I should have never looked away..." Her voice failed her. He heard her soft sobbing.

Teal'c gently put his arms around her. She shook as she cried. She was very small in his embrace. When her tears had stopped, she wiped her eyes with one hand. He brushed her hair back and said, "I have a son. He is very strong, and healthy, and perfect."

Nini looked at him, touched his face with her hand, and kissed his cheek. "I will have another son," she whispered.

The firelight cast dancing shadows on the wall as Teal'c held her closer. A weak pink-red glow faded from the cottage's single window. The village beyond it was quiet in the sunset.

\-----

In the middle of a small farm just outside the village was a two-room house. The front room was cluttered with a table and chairs, a pen holding two small goats, and a stone fireplace. The back room, tiny and cold, was furnished only with a bed and a large wooden chest.

Daniel sat on the wooden chest and turned his empty cup from side to side. Rasa, dressed only in a thin, see-through slip, smiled at him and poured more citrus-flavored wine from an earthenware jug.

Daniel took a drink. Warmth spread through him, and a false sense of peacefulness. Yes, false. He was getting drunk, he knew. She wanted him drunk... She wanted him. No, needed... Well, needed something from him. He took another, longer drink.

Rasa was getting him out of his clothes. Was this why they'd been so curious earlier, inside the town hall, checking out all the straps and buckles and laces?

She trailed her hand along the back of his neck as she pulled off his jacket and let it fall to the floor. Daniel took another drink of wine and closed his eyes and sensed her moving around him. He held up his feet and she pulled off his socks. Probably seemed like ridiculously short leggings to her. Probably seemed useless.

Oh, boy. He was drunk. He smiled, eyes still closed, and tried to enjoy it. He was warm. He was losing his clothes, yet he was warm. And the wine tasted good. Almost spicy. He could imagine tasting it on Jack's lips.

He frowned a little. Jack. He shouldn't be thinking about Jack, not now. Not on a mission. Not while he was here, with her. Not that she knew anything, not that she cared, even...

This wine would taste so good with Jack. He could pour it over Jack's skin, and lick it off... Suck it from... Hey, now that was something they hadn't tried. Huh. Maybe they should. Maybe that would work. Maybe that would go all right. Maybe Daniel could actually _do_ that.

Whoops. Time for another drink. He drained the cup. He didn't have to open his eyes to know Rasa refilled it.

He raised one arm as Rasa lifted his shirt. Switched the cup to his other hand and raised his other arm.

Stupid, stupid. Wasn't his fault. Wasn't anyone's fault. Just happened. Like Jack said, first times are never the best. Except, for Daniel, it had been pretty damned close. It had been pretty damned amazing. Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was too much to expect, but how could he not want to give Jack that? How could he not want it to be amazing for Jack, and feel a little bummed (as Jack would say) when it wasn't?

Maybe it was just cultural hang-ups. He took another long drink of wine as Rasa tugged on his pants legs. Very early on, he'd decided it was much more fun, much more satisfying, to know you'd given as much pleasure as you'd been given. It was a rush, to know you could do that. And it was still a rush, every time he brought Jack off, to know he could do that. But maybe he was too focused... too goal-oriented here...

He was having trouble getting his thoughts to line up. What was wrong with goal-oriented? Goals were good. What?

Oh, he was drunk. He opened his eyes, and he hoped Rasa had taken his glasses, because he wasn't seeing clearly. Oh. Good. She had. There they were, sitting on top of his clothes. He was warm, but he was naked.

There were two candle-lanterns in the room, but there was still enough pinkish light coming in through the window to see her. Rasa sat up on the bed and pulled off her slip, smiling at him. Not the shy smile from before. And her eyes, looking over him, were appreciative, and hungry. He felt warmer.

She slid back, and opened her legs, and she was anything but shy. She ran her hands up her thighs, touched and parted herself. Breathing deeper, arching and already working her hips.

This was something he knew he could do.

\-----

The last of the sunset blazed red across the sky. Over the farms, over the village, over the line of cottages.

Her name was Mumuzu, according to Deshara. Her skin was flawless. Her hair was thick, and wavy, and fell over her breasts, which were full and round, with small nipples which hardened when he touched them.

She liked when he touched them, if smiles meant the same thing here as on Earth. Jack was pretty sure they did.

He couldn't get her to talk. She understood fine, but she wouldn't talk to him. Too shy, it seemed, from the way she stared at him then would move her eyes and pretend she hadn't been staring. When he caught her at it, he grinned. She smiled back. That broke the ice, but couldn't get her talking.

They were facing each other in the high, lumpy bed, lit by lanterns. Jack cupped her breasts and rubbed her nipples again, and pinched them. Mumuzu gasped softly, and he felt her hips rock. She stared at him, bolder. She had to wriggle down a little to reach, to put her hands on his dick, which was waking up pretty impressively, if he did say so himself.

But that... No. He lifted her hands. Small, pretty hands that grasped greedily when he held them. She was still staring at him, at all of him. Ah, hell. Show her something, then. Jack wrapped his hand around his dick and stroked it slowly. Mumuzu blushed deeply, but she watched, and took quick breaths, and moved her thighs.

This was easy, predictable. He remembered all this. Not that Laira had been so long ago, anyway, but still... It was easy. He didn't have to think about this; all he had to do was _do_. And he knew what to do, what to expect. No questions. Sweet little Mumuzu shifted onto her back and her legs fit naturally around him, and there she was, wet and open, and...

Oh, damn. Damn, damn, damn. He should have known.

_Daniel pushing into him, careful, but how could Jack have been prepared for that? Careful, but so strong. Holding back, but wanting so much. Jack had never imagined... _

He balanced on one forearm and brushed her hair back with his other hand. He should have known.

_Daniel making love to him. Giving him so much. _

Mumuzu took deep breaths, and opened her eyes. She nodded a little. Jack caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Not quite as easy, the memories not quite as close anymore, but still, he knew this, he knew what to do. She was a sweet little thing, and brave, and quiet. He was gentle, he gave her that, gave her his control, so she would know that. And afterwards, lying on the lumpy bed, he stroked her hair, her skin, her breasts, and touched her. Watched and felt her relax, and react, and touched her, made it good for her, so she would know that as well.

\-----

Sam woke up, cold. She was curled up on the bed, one arm around her P-90 like it was a rag doll. She sat up and saw Shazashika sleeping on the floor next to the unlit stove.

Sam had a slight headache. She got out of bed and stood up, forgetting to hunch over. That didn't help her headache any. She tried to wake Shazashika, but the girl slept deeply. Sam took the blanket off the bed and draped it over Shazashika's shoulders.

She stepped outside, and the morning was cold and foggy. After some trial and error, she found this planet's version of an outhouse, got that out of the way, and went to find the rest of her team.

She encountered a few villagers carrying baskets and herding livestock through the square. She stopped one and asked after the colonel. The man said something that sounded like "Moom Zoo," and pointed to a cottage.

Sam stood at the cottage door and lifted her hand to knock. She hesitated for a moment.

"Major Carter."

Teal'c stepped out of the fog. He was fully dressed, nothing out of the ordinary. Sam paused. No, not really appropriate to ask, 'how did it go?'

"Have you seen the colonel?" she asked. "Or Daniel?"

"I have not. The woman Nini informed me that O'Neill was in this cottage. I understand Daniel Jackson to be on a farm nearby."

Sam thought for a second how bizarre this was -- why did these weird situations always happen to SG-1? -- and rapped on the door. "Colonel O'Neill?"

She and Teal'c waited. She knocked again, louder. "Colonel?"

They heard something from inside. A stumbling noise, then unmistakably the colonel's voice: "Ow."

Sam glanced at Teal'c, who raised one eyebrow slightly.

The door opened. A short young woman stood there, in a long dress, but her hair hung loose and uncombed. She smiled at them. It was a kind of wondrous, life-is-good smile. Sam smiled back and looked past her into the cottage. _Well, well, Colonel._

Colonel O'Neill came to the door hunched over and pulling on his jacket. He didn't have his boots on yet. Sam glanced down at the threshold, smiling. He sat down on a wooden stool and the young woman brought his boots and vest in from the bedroom.

"Where's Daniel?" he asked, tying his boots.

"We haven't found him yet, sir. He's on a farm outside the village."

The colonel got his vest on and his P-90 in place. The young woman handed him his cap. He smiled at her, a quiet, private smile. Sam looked away, at the bare outer walls of the cottage.

Colonel O'Neill emerged from the cottage and stood up straight, fixing his cap in place. "Which farm?" he asked.

"I believe it is in this direction," said Teal'c, pointing with his staff weapon. As they went off to get Daniel, Sam noticed the young woman staring after Colonel O'Neill before she shut the door.

The fog was thicker beyond the village. It was hard to see the farmhouses. Teal'c searched for a landmark his friend had told him would indicate the right farm. Sam and the colonel followed.

They heard a sound. A sneeze. A dark figure emerged from the fog and sneezed again.

"Daniel," the colonel greeted.

Daniel stopped in front of them and blinked. "Oh, hello. I was just going to the village to find you."

The colonel looked around at the fog. "Where's your friend?"

"She's, uh, she's sleeping."

The colonel raised an eyebrow. "So, which way's the gate?" he said, scanning the fog again.

"Sir?"

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't we go back to the village? Tell them we're leaving now?"

Colonel O'Neill tapped his fingers on his P-90 and looked at her steadily. "Oh, I don't think that's necessary, do you?" He glanced at Daniel, who glanced at him, then down.

Daniel folded and unfolded his hat in his hands. "Well, I said my good-byes..." He put his hat on. Colonel O'Neill looked at him, frowning a little.

"Sir--"

"Yeah, all right, Carter."

They didn't make it back to the village. Deshara found them wandering in the fog along the river, thanked them for their help, and wished them a peaceful journey home. Sam hoped they would be able to bring more help -- what and how, she had no idea yet -- but didn't say anything. As they trudged back to the gate, she fell into step next to Daniel.

"Why was the colonel so reluctant to go back to the village?" she wondered aloud.

Their boots crunched over pebbles and coarse grass. Daniel had plucked a reed of some sort and was toying with it. "Maybe his evening didn't go so well," he said.

Sam smiled. "I don't think that was the problem. Looked like it went _very_ well to me."

"Oh."

Daniel twisted the reed in his fingers. He untwisted it and dangled it by his side. Sam watched him, and wondered how well his evening had gone. On second thought, better not to think about it.

By the time they reached the DHD, the fog had cleared. Daniel dialed and sent the iris code, they climbed up the pedestal and stepped through the gate, and they were home. Post-mission routine absorbed them: armory, locker room, showers, blood tests, reports.

Daniel rested his chin in his hand and stared at the computer screen. The fingers of his other hand drummed on the keyboard.

Passive voice. Yes. Passive voice would be best here. But how to phrase it, exactly? What sounded the most militarese? 'Love was made.' Uh, no, forget that one. 'Sexual relations were had.' He winced. 'Sexual intercourse was undertaken.' Undertaken? Accomplished? Achieved? Completed?

He wondered how Jack had phrased it in his report. No, on second thought, better not to think about that. Sam's "looked like it went very well" floated back to him. What in the hell did that mean? What was "very well" in this context?

He paused. Had his experience gone very well? Well, it was nice... But it also...

Well. It wasn't Jack.

Daniel drummed his fingers on the keyboard again. A little crude and unfair, perhaps, to think about it in those terms, but that was basically it. It was nice, but it wasn't Jack.

He typed: 'Sexual intercourse was completed.' He read the sentence again, frowned, backspaced it away, then re-typed it. Okay, no need to say how many times. They didn't need to know that. At least not in the preliminary report.

He finished his summary and filed it with General Hammond's office. He walked past Jack's office and peered inside, and saw Jack listlessly typing one-handed, head propped up on one fist. Obviously not enjoying doing his report any more than Daniel had.

Daniel cleared his throat. Jack looked up without moving his head.

"Finished already?" Jack asked.

"Only with the summary."

Jack nodded and went back to typing. Daniel patted the doorjamb and was about to leave when Jack said, "I'm emphasizing the wine in mine."

Daniel nodded. Vividly remembered its citrus flavor. He licked his lips.

"Yes, I mentioned that, too. Plus, well, the humanitarian aid aspect. I mean, it was all we could do... Since they asked. And obviously needed a more, uh, heterogeneous DNA pool."

Jack glanced up at him again. "Is that what you thought about at the time?" He quirked his lips, not exactly a smile.

Daniel looked at him steadily. _No, I thought about you, mostly. Then I didn't think at all. _

He glanced down at the floor and ran a hand through his hair. "Not exactly."

Jack lifted his eyebrows and went back to typing. "Uh-huh."

Daniel watched him for a moment, then wandered back to his office. He sat down at the computer and started his detailed full mission report. He got as far as typing his name, the planet designation, and the date, before he saved the file and sat back, toying with a pen and looking around the office.

He tossed the pen aside, paced around the desk, sat back down. Stared at the computer screen. This could wait. The debriefing wasn't until tomorrow afternoon. He could come back to it.

He got up and opened a cabinet and pulled out a box. His pet project: the blue stones from 925. He'd been able to piece together fourteen of the stones in order. There were fragments missing, but they formed a mostly coherent passage about the arrival of the Goa'uld through the stargate. Still no leads on what the inhabitants of 925 had actually used to fight the Goa'uld, though.

Daniel immersed himself in the blue stones and lost track of time. He napped in his office, and when he woke up, Jack was standing in front of his bookshelves, hands in pockets, head tilted to read the spines of the books.

Daniel sat up, adjusting his glasses.

"I need your full report," Jack said. "Hammond wants my final report an hour before the debriefing."

"Oh."

Jack twitched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Daniel called up the file on his computer. "Ummm."

Jack peered over his shoulder to check the screen. He cocked an eyebrow. "As soon as you can, okay?"

Daniel nodded, already typing. "Okay."

Jack left, and Daniel, thriving under pressure, typed up the kind of report General Hammond would appreciate. Dry and factual, with his complete speculations on the culture and society contained in a separate section that could be skipped (he sighed) if necessary. He couldn't overlook the details about the genealogy tattoos, though. That was just too interesting to be reduced to a few sentences.

Then he made a neat overall summary, labelled it "summary," and put it on another page, where Jack could zero in on it and include it in his final report. Jack always appreciated it when Daniel made his reports easy to incorporate. Jack's hatred of paperwork was overshadowed only by his hatred of the Goa'uld.

He sent the file to Jack, took a meal break (no idea if it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner time), and went back to the stones from 925.

"Daniel Jackson."

Daniel looked up. Teal'c was standing in the doorway to his office. Daniel checked his watch. "I'll be right there. Just let me put these away." Teal'c inclined his head and waited.

When they entered the briefing room, General Hammond, Sam, Jack, and Doctor Fraiser were already seated around the table. Doctor Fraiser was reviewing a file folder, her brow knitted in a frown. Daniel and Teal'c sat down.

"I've asked Doctor Fraiser to join us," General Hammond said, "since I understand from these reports that three members of this team came in close physical contact with the inhabitants of P7R-271."

_Close physical contact._ That was one euphemism Daniel hadn't thought of. He glanced at Jack, who sat with clasped hands, studiously staring at the table. Sam looked sheepish. General Hammond's frown was serious. Daniel toyed with his pen and didn't risk looking at Doctor Fraiser.

The general stared at them. "Well? Can someone explain this?"

"Yes, General," Jack said, as Daniel said, "Yes. I can."

General Hammond looked from Daniel to Jack. "Colonel?"

"Sir, the inhabitants asked us to..." Jack shot Daniel and Teal'c a quick look. "Asked us to."

"General," Daniel said. "The population displayed negative indicators of inbreeding. As livestock breeders, they appear to be aware of the side effects of an increasingly homogeneous genetic pool, and asked us to..." He gestured vaguely. "...to contribute new genetic material."

Hammond looked unconvinced. Doctor Fraiser pursed her lips.

"Colonel O'Neill," she said. "I don't think I need to remind _you_ of the dangers of unprotected sex with members of an alien population." Jack winced. Doctor Fraiser lifted an eyebrow and looked at Daniel and Teal'c. "All of you should be aware of the potential dangers, not just to yourselves, but to the women involved. Were any of you thinking about the risks?"

Daniel looked down at the table and frowned. Doctor Fraiser said, "As I suspected. Well, gentlemen, I will need to see all three of you for a complete physical examination as soon as possible, to make sure you haven't brought back any nasty surprises. And, General, I'll need to take a small medical team to the planet to examine the young women. Find out what the results of our boys' 'humanitarian aid' were."

Ouch. Daniel wouldn't meet her eyes. He toyed with his pen. The general dismissed the meeting, and Jack stood up, closed, serious. He looked at Daniel for a moment, and left the briefing room.

\-----

They had a day off. Jack drove out of town, aimlessly. At nightfall he parked by the side of the road and watched the moonrise. Daniel had made it clear he was going to waste his time off inside the mountain, working on those stupid, worthless blue rocks. Well, that was okay. Sometimes they needed a little time to themselves. And, truth be told, Jack was still stinging from the debriefing. Not so much because of Doc Fraiser's disappointment in his judgment, but because she was right. That's what stung. Another bonehead decision, and Jack couldn't entirely blame the citrus wine, could he?

He hadn't been completely buzzed the entire time. No one had coerced him. His team had been under no threat. And he hadn't been stranded for several months, and lonely, and desperate. He wished he could be satisfied with Daniel's "humanitarian aid" excuse, but that was just it: it was an excuse.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared up at the sky. Found Mars. He leaned against the passenger-side door. He could see the Milky Way tonight, the sky was so clear.

It was getting late. He drove back into town and stopped at Daniel's place. No one there. Stupid rocks. He went home and managed to get some of the rest he was supposed to get on his downtime.

A new day, a new mission. Planet of the Sticks, Jack would always think of it as. A clearing around the stargate, then a jungle of red, alien bamboo. It was a weird place. The UAV had shown a settlement about fifteen kilometers from the gate, but getting through the bamboo forest had been a struggle. They all ended up with cuts and scrapes and an abiding hatred of bamboo afterward.

Even weirder, the settlement, when they reached it, was inhabitated only by monkeys. Well, what passed for monkeys on this particular planet. They were a little cuter than Earth monkeys, in Jack's opinion, but not cuddly. Instead of fur, they had quills, like porcupines.

The settlement was in ruins, but had been made by humans, Daniel was pretty sure. But he still insisted on trying to communicate with the monkeys, just in case. Maybe it was just Jack's mood, but he was secretly satisfied that he was right -- it was a monumental waste of time -- and that Daniel was wrong. Then they got to thrash and push their way back through the bamboo to the gate. Ugh. Never wanted to see that planet again.

They were called to a special briefing when they got back to SGC. As Jack entered the briefing room, and saw Doctor Fraiser seated there with General Hammond, he slowed his steps. Uh oh. Something told him this wasn't going to be good.

"General. Doctor," he greeted, attempting a devil-may-care smile. Doc Fraiser's raised eyebrow told him the attempt was not successful.

Daniel was already there, sitting across from Fraiser. He avoided looking at her by studying his coffee. Jack sat down next to him and leaned over a little to see what was in Daniel's coffee that would deserve such undivided attention. He got Daniel's raised-eyebrow quizzical look in return. Carter and Teal'c came in and took their seats. Carter gave him a questioning look. Jack replied with his don't-ask-me head shake.

General Hammond began the meeting. "Doctor Fraiser's team has returned from P7R-271, and she's here to brief us on their findings. Doctor."

Fraiser opened her report. "Our medical team contacted the inhabitants, got their permission to examine the young ladies in question, and based on the results of our examinations, did further biological and environmental tests on P7R-271. What we found was consistent with an increasingly homogeneous genetic pool. There was a high incidence of skin cancers, and I suspect further tests will confirm other cancers common among the inhabitants. The increased radiation of the planet and the reduced effectiveness of the immune system are contributing factors.

"As SG-1 reported, there is also a prevalence of elongated fingers -- and toes, the medical team discovered -- in the population, a genetic defect that's prospered within the small DNA pool. We also found indications of a very low birth rate."

Fraiser set her report aside. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c. Jack drummed his fingers on the table.

"The young woman named Nini has conceived," Fraiser said. "It's too early to tell anything more, but Nini is in relatively good health, and has had one previous successful pregnancy, so chances of seeing this one through to term look hopeful."

She paused. Everyone at the table looked at Teal'c. Teal'c kept his expression neutral. Jack had a fleeting temptation to clap him on the shoulder and say, "Atta boy," but under the circumstances... No. No way he was going to risk it under General Hammond's coldest stare. He tapped the table with his thumbs and waited for the next shoe to drop.

Fraiser continued, "Rasa and Mumuzu did not conceive."

Jack glanced at Daniel, who glanced at him and frowned. Jack frowned back and looked at Fraiser.

She gave them a carefully bland look and faced General Hammond. "We determined that the women on P7R-271 have somewhat thicker egg membranes, possibly an evolutionary result of the planet's higher radiation, or perhaps caused by a genetic defect that's been passed along from generation to generation. We can't tell what the exact cause is, but the effect is that fertilization requires greater sperm motility and adherence capabilities." She turned to Jack and Daniel, one eyebrow raised slightly.

Jack splayed his fingers over the table and leaned forward. "Doc. What does that mean, exactly?"

Fraiser smirked at him. "It means, Colonel, that your little guys just aren't fast enough or strong enough." She graced Daniel with the same smirk.

Jack looked at Daniel. Who had that furrowed brow, open mouth expression that made him look like he'd just lost seven hundred IQ points. Daniel gave him a sidelong look and shut his mouth. Jack glanced over at Carter. She didn't quite hide her smile fast enough. Teal'c raised one eyebrow a fraction of an inch. Jack narrowed his eyes at him. Mr. Smug.

"Not... strong enough," Daniel repeated slowly. The pen he'd been toying with fell from his hand, clattered against the table, and dropped to the floor. Jack picked it up and handed it to him.

When Jack faced Fraiser again, she'd lost the smirk. "In fact, General," she said, "based on the studies I've been reading, less than two percent of the male population on Earth would be capable of impregnating the women on 271."

Oh. Well, then. He and Daniel were no worse off than ninety-eight percent of the men on this planet. Still. He glanced at Teal'c again. Oh, just wait until their next boxing match. Then they'd see who was Mr. Smug.

His attention was drawn back to Doctor Fraiser. "SG-1's mission reports mentioned that P7R-271 had received visitors in the past," she said. "After we completed our results, I questioned some of the inhabitants, and was able to determine that at least one bloodline among them can be traced back to someone who came through the stargate. They call the bloodline ancestor Avrakhai of Banashashiku."

"Banashashiku?" said Daniel. "Are you sure?"

Jack clasped his hands in front of him. "Daniel?"

"Banashashek is Malachai's planet. You remember, the alien archeologist we met on P4X-639 who--"

"I remember Malachai," Jack cut him off.

Daniel spread his hands, rubbing his pen between thumb and forefinger. "We know his people have been using the stargate. They must have gone to 271 sometime in the past, and someone named Avrakhai was successful in... in starting a new bloodline."

"We could contact the people on Banashashek, explain the situation," said Sam. "We know at least one male was successful. Knowing that some people on 271 are descendents of this Avrakhai, maybe the Banashashek will want to help. I mean, in a way, they're all relatives now."

Jack and Daniel looked at General Hammond. "It's worth a try, General," Daniel said.

Hammond was quiet for a moment. "I agree," he said at last. "Doctor Jackson, I want you to provide SG-9 with any cultural and social background on these two planets you think will be relevant. Doctor Fraiser, I'd like you to prepare your biological and medical data in a report that will help the Banashashek understand the situation. SG-1, tomorrow we'll debrief on your mission to P5X-864, then you'll have two days off. Teal'c, if you'd like to return to P7R-271 to make some sort of arrangement with the alien woman, you have my authorization."

"That will not be necessary, General Hammond," Teal'c said.

General Hammond paused, then nodded. Jack watched Teal'c, curious, but Teal'c never gave any secrets away. At least he didn't look so smug anymore. The general dismissed the briefing, Daniel gave Jack a cautious look and left, and Jack headed for his office to start his report on the Planet of the Sticks.

\-----

When Daniel reached his apartment, Jack was sitting in the hallway next to the door, juggling a wadded-up piece of paper. There was a brown paper bag on the floor next to him. Daniel shifted the plastic bag he was carrying to his other hand and got out his keys.

"Jack."

Jack caught the paper ball deftly and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. "Daniel."

Daniel unlocked the door. Jack stood up and picked up the paper bag.

"Been waiting long?" Daniel asked as he stepped inside.

Jack followed him. "So-so. Where were you?"

Daniel didn't immediately answer. He set the plastic bag on the dining table, went into the kitchen to start the oven, and took off his coat.

"I stopped off to get this," he said, pulling the pie pan out of the bag.

Jack smiled. "Stella's? Cherry?"

"They were out of cherry. Blackberry okay?"

"Oh, yeah."

Jack took his jacket and Daniel's coat and hung them up in the front closet. He took the paper bag out onto the balcony. Daniel got two beers from the fridge.

He paused in the living room, watching Jack on the balcony, filling the hibachi with charcoal, lighting it, pulling out a plastic-wrapped package of meat and opening it. It was late afternoon, and golden light filtered down, brought out the white-grey in Jack's hair, made the skin of his forearms look darker, tanned. Jack leaned forward to fiddle with the charcoal and his shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, hung low enough for the sun to highlight curls of chest hair. Daniel's breath caught for a moment.

_Does he have any idea how sexy he is?_ Daniel wondered. Then rethought that as he walked out onto the balcony and handed a beer to Jack. Sure, _he_ thought Jack was sexy as hell, but in general terms, was he? Daniel leaned against the railing and thought about the definition of 'sexy' and how subjective it was, relying as it did on cultural perceptions of beauty and sexual desirability. And realized that he hadn't really paid attention to what the current standard for sexy males aged 35 to 50 in Western civilization was, and decided he didn't care, anyway, since as far as he was concerned, Jack was totally sexy.

And it wasn't all to do with his physical attractiveness, either. His sense of humor was sexy, as was his--

"Daniel."

Jack waved a hand in front of Daniel's eyes. Daniel blinked. "Hm?"

"I said, do you like squash? I bought some at the store, thought we could grill it." Jack held up a package of round slices of yellow squash.

"Oh. Yes, some squash would be good."

Jack started the steaks as Daniel put the pie in the oven. By the time the steaks and squash were done, and eaten, the pie was ready. Daniel set it out to cool, and he and Jack sat on the balcony, leaning against the windows and watching the sunset. Their shoulders touched, and once in a while their hands would brush together when they moved, but other than that, they played it safe, no other close physical contact.

"You still need some patio furniture," Jack said after a long, comfortable silence. "A couple of chairs would just fit. There might be room for a little table."

Another long, comfortable silence.

"Yeah," Daniel said.

The smell of blackberry pie drifted out from the apartment. Jack wondered if it was cool enough to eat yet. Wished Daniel had some ice cream to go with it. Oh well.

Daniel moved slightly and his shoulder pressed more firmly against Jack's. Jack rolled his shoulder in a sort of a rub and moved his arm until their elbows touched.

"When Doctor Fraiser went to 271..." Daniel said quietly.

Jack glanced at him. The orange gleam of the sunset was reflected in his glasses, and tinted his hair to a reddish brown, gave his face and neck a gold-tan color.

"Yeah," Jack said, and waited.

"You know, it's funny. I never knew if Sha're wanted children. I mean, I assumed she did, but we never talked about it." Daniel paused. "We were still getting to know each other, even after a year."

A year's too short a time, Jack thought, but didn't say. He looked out at the sunset, memories surfacing and dying in his mind, like a slide show where each image fades before the next one appears.

"I loved being a dad," he said at last. "Didn't make me any good at it, but I loved it."

He took a drink of beer, finishing the bottle. He expected Daniel to say something like, 'you did your best' or 'I'm sure you were a good father' -- the kinds of things he both hated and longed to hear. Hated because they didn't mean anything, didn't change anything. Longed for because he wanted to believe them just the same.

Daniel said, "I know."

And Jack shut his eyes for a moment, and set the beer bottle aside, and thanked him silently for that, because that meant more than any stock meaningless response. He opened his eyes, and the sun was lower, and the smell of pie was stronger, and the warmth of Daniel's arm against his was a deeper, soothing warmth.

"What would you have done?" he asked. "If it had... If the girl had..." He trailed off. Daniel knew what he meant.

"I have no idea. To tell you the truth, I thought if it came to that... I was hoping the SGC would step in. There'd be orders to follow or something."

Jack half laughed.

"And what were you going to do?" Daniel asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

Jack frowned and shook his head. Thought briefly of Laira. He never knew. He'd never gone back, and he never knew. That felt wrong somehow. Except going back felt more wrong, and he'd let it all go so easily. Maybe too easily.

"Oh, I don't know. I got as far as thinking it would be another responsibility, that's about it. I didn't go into the... logistics of it."

Daniel didn't say anything. Jack shifted to look at him, and Daniel was half-smiling. Daniel's eyes met his, amused, and Jack wondered what was so damn funny.

"Pie?" Daniel asked him, standing up.

"Yeah." Jack stood up and followed him inside, bringing in the plates and empty bottles. He watched Daniel cut two slices and set them on plates before he had to ask, "What were you smiling at?"

Daniel handed Jack a plate and a fork. "Truthfully?"

"Yeah."

Daniel picked up his plate and looked down at the piece of pie, poking at it with his fork. "I was thinking about you, how many responsibilities you have, and how like you it was to be ready to face another one, even something like this. It was just... you."

Jack watched him. "And that makes you smile?"

Daniel cut into the slice of pie with the fork. "Yes," he said without looking up.

Jack glanced down at his plate. Blackberry filling was oozing out from under the crust. It smelled wonderful. "Oh," he said.

They sat at the dining table and ate pie. Jack regretted the lack of ice cream, but didn't say anything. The pie was good, but ice cream would have given it that extra oomph. Daniel was down to the crust when he got a phone call -- from the half of the conversation Jack could hear, it was someone from SG-9 asking for clarifications on Daniel's notes. Jack cleared the table. Stood in Daniel's kitchen and wondered how much longer the phone call was going to last. Heard Daniel say the words, "Okay, just let me explain this again..." and sighed.

He went into the bedroom, stripped down to his underwear, and stretched out on Daniel's bed, leaning against the headboard and crossing his legs at the ankles. He drummed his fingers on the mattress. Looked around the room. Opened the drawer of Daniel's nightstand and peeked inside. Heard Daniel say something about a footnote on page forty-seven. Daniel's notes had footnotes. He shook his head, closed the drawer, and folded his hands over his stomach.

He closed his eyes and could see Daniel's half-smile (_it was just... you_). Daniel's voice was quiet and continuous in the other room, lulling him into sleep.

He woke up because a big, strong body was scooting him over. He opened his eyes, and the big, strong body was Daniel, naked, trying to get into bed. Jack moved over, slid out of his underwear, and joined him under the covers.

They lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling in the gloom of night. Their shoulders touched. Silence surrounded them for long minutes.

"You know what I..." Jack started to say, then stopped. Daniel could just barely see his hands, curving in a grabbing gesture. "Breasts," Jack said.

"Oh, yeah," Daniel said. And remembered how they'd felt, to hold and squeeze. Pressed against his chest. Soft under his cheek. "Mmmm."

Jack paused. "You too?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, and they fell into silence, remembering.

"Not that... ummm..." Jack said after a while. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with..." Jack's hands fumbled in the air, an uncertain gesture. Daniel smiled and shifted onto his side, resting against Jack, one hand on his chest. No, nothing wrong with this.

"I know," Daniel said. "It was... ummm..."

"Yeah."

Daniel ran his fingertips through Jack's chest hair, found one nipple and rubbed it. Jack settled more comfortably.

"It's like... the stargate. Going through the stargate," Jack said. Daniel frowned a little, wondering if this was a Freudian analogy and where it was heading. Jack continued, "You know. We step through and we're on P3X-whatever, and it's all new and adventure stuff. Then we step through, and we're back in SGC, and that's the best. I mean, all the adventure stuff is great and everything, but when we come back to Earth, that's, like, home."

Daniel felt a chill in his face, in his chest, down his spine. His fingers stopped stroking. "Is that what she was?" he asked quietly. "Home?"

Jack ran his hand along Daniel's forearm. "No." He kissed Daniel's forehead. "You are."

Daniel released a breath. Inhaled deeply and released another one. _Oh, god._ Jack held him closer.

"But..." he said.

"But what?"

Daniel sat up and switched on the light. Jack blinked at him. "It doesn't make any sense," Daniel said. "This is the new adventure stuff. The we-have-no-idea-what-we're-doing-and-it's-probably-really-dangerous stuff. This is. We are."

"Daniel."

"Yes?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes."

"And you're finding fault with how I said it?"

Daniel felt a blush of warmth spread through his skin. His hand, resting on Jack's chest, played with Jack's chest hair until Jack caught it and held it still.

Daniel said, "I'm just trying to understand."

"You understand," Jack said quietly. "I know you do."

Jack was right. Daniel understood. But, still.

"Okay. I understand. And it's the same. For me, I mean. But, Jack..."

"What?" Jack caressed his hand, and wrist, and forearm, soothing.

Daniel took a deep breath. No way to say it except to just come right out and say it. "The sex," he mumbled. "That's the new, adventurous, scary, P3X-whatever part, isn't it?"

"Speak for yourself."

Daniel pulled away and flopped onto his back. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't make jokes."

Jack was quiet for a moment. "Okay. Yeah, maybe it is. But it's... What makes it good is that it's also Earth, home, here, you know?"

Oh, he knew all right. Oh, yes. Daniel reached out, and there was Jack, in his arms, so Daniel could hold him, and he could hold Daniel. They held each other for a long time, silent and comfortable. The room was still and quiet, softly lit from the bedside lamp.

"I feel bad," Daniel said finally. "About, you know."

"I know. I don't."

Daniel was stroking Jack's hair. "You don't?" he asked.

Jack kissed Daniel's chest. "Nah."

Daniel rubbed the short hairs on the back of Jack's neck. Jack kissed Daniel's chest again, then his throat, then his neck. Daniel tilted his head, and Jack licked along the curve of his neck and kissed his ear.

"In fact," Jack murmured, "I keep thinking about it."

Daniel shivered. Jack smiled and licked again.

"In a good way or a bad way?" Daniel asked.

Jack gently bit just behind his ear. "In a 'I want to do it again' way."

"Really."

Jack kissed the nape of his neck. "Oh, right. Like you haven't been thinking about doing it again non-stop."

"Is that thinking about it non-stop or doing it non-stop?" Daniel asked, and Jack heard the smile in his voice. Jack chuckled softly and kissed him, a slow, deep, you're-the-most-delicious-thing kiss. Which he savored, while his mind did one of its periodic reality checks to conclude again that his life was very, very strange. He was kissing Daniel, who was kissing him, and they were naked, and he was thinking about Daniel fucking him, wanting Daniel to fuck him, not even for the first time now, and given everything else they'd done, that wasn't even all that strange. And he'd just told Daniel he was 'home', whatever that meant. Well, Jack knew what it meant, and what was strange was not that he'd said it, not that he felt it, but that feeling it didn't feel strange at all.

They broke from the kiss, and Jack stayed tangled up in Daniel's arms and legs, more comfortable than not. Daniel stroked his back, smooth and steady. Jack skimmed his fingertips over Daniel's skin.

"I wouldn't say I was thinking about it non-stop," Daniel said. "I thought about one or two other things."

"Uh huh."

Daniel paused. He rested his hand on Jack's ass. "Okay. Maybe ninety percent of the time..."

Jack smiled and squirmed out of Daniel's embrace to reach into the nightstand drawer.

"You have absolutely no sense of privacy, do you?" Daniel groused, taking the tube from Jack's hand and settling on his side.

Jack pressed against him, slid one leg over Daniel's thigh, and smoothed his hand down Daniel's back, resting it on the warm curve of his ass. "Given what we're about to do, the issue of privacy seems pretty ridiculous, don't you think? Besides, it's not like you keep anything shocking in there."

Daniel ran one hand along Jack's side and hip, and eased Jack's leg higher. He kissed Jack's shoulder while his fingers slid, slick and slippery, tentative and teasing. "It's the principle of the thing," he murmured. Sounding amused. Between Daniel's mock bitching and what his fingers were sorta -- but not quite, not yet -- doing, Jack was getting restless, hungrier. He dug his fingers into the firm flesh of Daniel's ass and thrust against him.

Daniel made a low, satisfied sound. No wonder. His dick was rock-hard against Jack's, hot, and Jack wanted it. Yeah, he really wanted it, and right now he didn't give a damn what it meant that he really wanted it. This was Daniel, he wanted Daniel, right now.

And Daniel knew it, he so knew it. Jack tried to think of something else to say to make Daniel gripe some more, but his mind was going blank, thoughts replaced by wordless expressions of sensation. Daniel's fingers slid inside him -- ohhhh, so good. Ah, christ. Doing those little moves, those little... ohhhh. Jack thrust again.

"Principle," he managed to say. Although it didn't end up sounding like a sneer; sounded more like gasp of pleasure.

"You do that deliberately," Daniel said against his ear. He stopped moving his fingers. Jack took a shuddering breath.

"What?" he whispered, genuinely confused, because lust seemed to have eaten his brain cells for the time being.

"That." Daniel very slowly -- almost too slowly -- rubbed inside him, and made a low noise in his throat.

Jack shivered all over. Struggled to figure out what the hell Daniel was talking about. He gripped Daniel's ass harder. "Daniel," he said, exasperated. "Would you just _tell_ me what it is that I--"

He stopped. Oh. Now he got it: Daniel griped on purpose, and he got Daniel to gripe on purpose. Because it was a turn-on. Oh, man. Were they fucked up or what? Ha. Well. He bit Daniel's shoulder, felt Daniel tremble in response, felt Daniel's fingers circle inside him.

_Oh, Daniel._

He smoothed his hand up to rub the back of Daniel's neck. "Hey," he said quietly. Barely heard it over the blood pounding in his ears.

Daniel kissed his neck and rubbed against him. "Hmmm?"

Jack smiled softly and drew back to looked at him. He touched Daniel's cheek and stared into his eyes. "Hey," he said.

Daniel blinked a couple of times. His fingers slowed. "Oh."

Jack lightly scratched the short hairs on the back of Daniel's neck. "Oh, yeah."

Daniel took a deep breath.

_Oh, god, he's thinking. Don't think, Daniel. Just do. It'll be fine. I want it. I want you. So much. _

"Do you want to... Um..." Daniel swallowed. "We could try it this way."

"This way." Jack glanced down. Frowned a little. "Are you sure?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "Well. Not this way exactly. I mean, I don't know. Maybe we could, but... Um, what I meant was..." His fingers slid free and he caressed Jack's thigh.

Oh. Jack shifted onto his back. Daniel propped himself up on one arm and looked him over. Swallowed again. Jack reached over and rubbed the back of his neck.

Daniel slid between his legs, and how in the hell did people do this, anyway? Jack bent his knees back, and oh, hell. Ouch. Goddamn knees. How in the hell did this work? And what the hell was Daniel doing, futzing with the blankets and pillows, pulling them under Jack's hips... Oh. Oh, clever Daniel.

That was better. Knees -- well, better not to think about the knees. Daniel lowered to kiss him, mmmm, deep, wonderful, perfect Daniel kiss. His body so hot, so heavy against Jack's. Forget the knees. This was all that mattered.

Daniel lifted up from the kiss, rested on his forearms, looked down at Jack. He looked a little... intense. But nicely horny, too. Jack moved his legs, rubbed Daniel with them, figured that might tip the scale.

Oh, yeah. It did. Daniel fit to him, and pressed against him, and pushed, and oh, hellchristfuckdamnfuckfuckfuck, yeah. He wanted this, yes, he did, but oh, hell, this was the hard part. Hard part. Ah, jeez, not even a bad joke.

_Don't stop_, he thought. And maybe even said it, he didn't know, but Daniel didn't stop. No, oh, yeah, he pushed more, and oh, oh, oh baby. He hoped he didn't say that out loud. Ah, fuck, if he did, who cared? Daniel was in him, there he was. Yeah.

He reached up to rub the back of Daniel's neck, skim his fingertips over Daniel's shoulders. "Don't stop," and this time he said it, and Daniel blushed, closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath. Didn't stop.

It was better. It was Daniel, making love to him, and how amazing was that? In him. _In_ him. God. Incredible, strong, clever Daniel giving him so much. So careful. _Don't stop. Don't hold back. Let go._

Jack arched a little, let his legs bend back further -- ouch, but ohhhhh yeah, oh oh oh yeah. Daniel rocked and thrust a little deeper, and then, wow. Whoa. What the--?

"Ohhhhh," Jack moaned. Loudly. There. Again. He moaned again. Tried to make it intelligible, like 'do that again', but that was expecting too much from a wordless moan, apparently, because Daniel slowed, panting, and gave him a questioning look.

Words. Brain. Function. No. Not gonna work. Show: more. Jack arched and thrust his hips, and yeah. There. And Daniel got it, clever Daniel, and gave him more. Rocking, and pushing, and thrusting, steadily. There, always there, loving there. And Jack was moving, arching, pushing, couldn't help it, just did it. Not even moaning now; his breath was gone, in gasps.

Daniel slowed, pressed deep, stopped. _No, don't stop._ Oh. Yes. Daniel came. Ahhh, so good. Jack held Daniel's shoulders, felt his trembles. And had to move, had to arch and rub, and oh christchristyes. He reached down, squeezed and jerked his dick, and yes. Felt so good. Oh, god. He was coming and he had Daniel inside him, and Daniel had come inside him, and Daniel was home even if the sex was P3X-whatever, and hell, fuck, damn, it was good.

The universe stopped spinning. Jack blinked and something wet fell onto his nose. He looked up at Daniel, who was leaning in, resting on his arms, and dripping sweat. Staring at him, in what would have been an intense look if it hadn't been so full of amazed, satisfied lust. Jack combed his fingers through Daniel's hair.

Jack's breathing slowed. He rubbed Daniel's hair. Daniel gave him a worried little smile, said, "Um," and drew back, out. Jack hissed from the feel of it -- not pain, not exactly. He lowered and straightened his legs.

"Ouch."

"Ouch?" Daniel, still worried, not smiling.

"Knees."

"Oh."

Jack looked at him, grabbed his neck, and pulled him into a kiss. A devour-you-like-steak kiss, an it-was-incredible-so-don't-even-give-me-that-look kiss. Which Daniel understood, because he gave it right back.

They kissed. Daniel reached across the bed and switched off the light. They held each other, kissed some more. Jack whispered, "Stay there," and slipped out of bed, in the darkness. Daniel stayed there, on his side, tangled in blankets, in the darkness.

Jack bumped into something in the other room. Daniel heard the soft thud, Jack's, "Damn!", and sighed. He rolled onto his stomach, smelled the musk from their sex. Tried to think, couldn't, gave up.

He felt drowsy, but didn't sleep. Jack came back, smelling of shampoo and soap, and started pulling on the blankets to make them conform to the bed. Daniel got up, padded through the darkness to the bathroom, took a quick shower in the still-wet and steamy tub, padded back to the bedroom and slid into bed, expecting Jack to be asleep.

Jack wasn't asleep. He wrapped one arm around Daniel's waist and pressed against his back, and caressed Daniel's shoulder with kisses. Daniel leaned back into his embrace, and could think again, a little, but it was all just: _Wow_. And _yes_.

He rolled over and Jack kissed him, and he kissed Jack, and Jack kissed him again, laughing. Daniel kissed him deeply, and couldn't help it -- he laughed, too. Jack chuckled and kissed his neck.

"Stop laughing," Daniel said.

"Why?" Jack settled against him, comfortable, warm.

Daniel skimmed his fingers up Jack's arm. "It's not exactly a reaction that inspires confidence."

Jack rested his head on Daniel's shoulder. "Trust me. In this case, it should."

"Mm."

Daniel held him close, felt so sleepy now. Jack was falling asleep, too, heavier in his arms.

"Jack," he whispered. "Good night."

"Yeah. Night," Jack mumbled against him.

Daniel closed his eyes, sleepy and thinking now. How amazing. How incredible. And Jack was home, Earth, here. He tried that thought again. Let it slide around his mind for a while, testing it against known traps, known dangerous associations. It was okay. It was true.

And, best thought of all. They had two days off. Another two whole days of home. Earth. Here. Jack.

(the end)


End file.
